U.S. presidential inauguration: Obamas welcome Trumps to White House; Trump retains 50 senior Obama appointees

Outgoing President Barack Obama and wife Michelle on Friday received incoming President Donald Trump and wife Melania to the White House.
The outgoing president and the First Lady will host a tea and coffee reception with Trump and his wife, according to reports.
The pair will ride with their wives to the inauguration at Capitol Hill from the White House.
In the afternoon, the Obamas will attend the Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony for Trump and the new First Lady, with outgoing Vice President Joe Biden and incoming Vice President Mike Pence and wife, Jill.
After the inauguration, Obama and wife will depart the U.S. Capitol en route Joint Base Andrews, where Obama will deliver remarks at a farewell event with staff.
Later in the afternoon, the Obamas will depart Joint Base Andrews en route Palm Springs, California.
Obama and his family will take one final flight on Air Force One to an as-of-yet-announced destination, which is customary.
As for the Bidens, the White House press office said that following the inauguration, they will travel back to Delaware on passenger Train.
Obama and Biden had earlier on Friday, left the Oval Office for the last time.
Obama was elected as the 44th U.S. president in a historic presidential election in 2008, defeating Republican nominee John McCain.
The two-term president was the first black American in history to be elected U.S. president.
The former Illinois senator, who won a re-election in 2012 for the second and last term, maintains an all-time high popularity rating throughout his presidency, which had been largely described as scandal-free.
Trump won the November 8, 2016 presidency by electoral college vote, but lost the popular vote to Democratic Hillary Clinton by 2.9 million votes.
Meanwhile, Trump has asked roughly 50 senior Obama administration appointees to remain in their posts after his inauguration to ensure continuity in government, his incoming White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said on Thursday.
The officials include the highest-ranking career officials at key national security agencies like the Pentagon and State Department.
Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work and America’s third-ranking diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, will serve as acting chiefs of their agencies until successors for the top jobs are confirmed by the Senate, Trump’s spokesman said.
Trump’s selection for the Pentagon, retired Gen. James Mattis, is expected to be confirmed on Friday shortly after the inauguration ceremony, along with retired Gen. John Kelly for Secretary of Homeland Security.
Senate debate on Trump’s choice for the CIA boss, former Rep. Mike Pompeo, is expected to start on Friday.
It is unclear if Pompeo will receive an immediate confirmation vote.
At the State Department, Shannon will be in charge until next week as a Senate vote on Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is not expected until Monday or Tuesday.
Also staying will be Brett McGurk, the Obama administration’s point-man for fighting the Islamic State group, Nicholas Rasmussen, the National Counter-terrorism Center Director, and Adam Szubin, the Treasury Department’s top official for terrorism and financial intelligence.
Spicer said Chuck Rosenberg, the Drug Enforcement Agency administrator, and Susan Coppedge, the State Department’s ambassador-at-large to combat human trafficking, would be left in place for the transition.
The National Institutes of Health said its director, Dr Francis Collins, was asked to stay on at least temporarily.
Republicans and Democrats are still negotiating over Trump’s nominees and Mattis and Kelly may be the only ones to make it through on Friday.
No fewer than 800,000 people are expected to attend the inauguration of Trump as the 45th President of the U.S. on Friday.
The number is less than the all-time record attendance during President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 as the 44th president.
Trump had encouraged his supporters to set an “all time record” for attendance, but planners are expecting about 800,000 people.
Trump’s inauguration ceremony on opens with the call to order from Senator Roy Blunt, followed by readings and invocations and music from the Missouri State University chorale, according to the programme.
Mike Pence will then take the Vice Presidential oath of office, administered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs, and then Donald Trump takes the presidential oath of office, administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Trump will give his inaugural address, followed by more readings and a benediction and close with the national anthem.
Trump much-anticipated speech is expected to focus on structural problems within the country and setting an agenda for his first 100 days and beyond.
The inaugural committee announced the parade line-up, which includes high school bands, police troops and civic groups found across the country.
The statement also said that all branches of the military will be represented.
The parade’s announcer. Charlie Brotman, an 89-year-old who has announced every inaugural parade since President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second term, was replaced by Trump’s inaugural committee and Brotman is instead “Announcer Chairmen Emeritus”.
The inauguration festivities are not confined to just the day-of events as Trump had on Thursday attended a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony.
He then hosted a “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” at the Lincoln Memorial in the evening, which was open to the public.
After his inauguration, Trump will attend inaugural balls in the evening but only three, a sharp decline when compared to Obama, who attended 10 in 2009 and former President Bill Clinton’s record 14.
Trump’s inaugural balls are the Washington Convention Centre, one called the Commander in Chief ball, which is a traditional military ball and then a series of private dinners.”
The new president will also attend a national prayer service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21.
The weekend is also expected to draw a lot of anti-Trump protests.
The largest is expected to be the Women’s March on Washington.
Organisers of the march predicted that 200,000 people will attend in a permit application.
Other rallies, both pro and anti-Trump, are expected to draw from 100 to 50,000 attendees.